Grandfather of Physics, a versatile personality from Nagpur, who with his tremendous contribution to his field earned name and fame and also made this city and country proud, Prof Chintamani Mande passed away on Tuesday morning. He was living with his equally great son Dr Shekhar Mande, Secretary, DSIR and Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) at Delhi. He leaves behind wife Latika, son Dr Shekhar, daughter Veena Gokhale and a host of relatives to mourn his loss. Prof Mande was born in Nagpur on October 28, 1925. He did his most education in Uttar Pradesh in Hindi.

 

Then he joined Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for higher education, from there he did MSc. Prof Mande did his DPhil (Allahabad) and DSc from Paris, France. His disciple Prof V B Sapre, former Head of the Department of Physics of Nagpur University, told ‘The Hitavada’, “In Paris, when Prof Mande received his degree, the university in Paris made a mention ‘Very Honourably Grading’. In Paris they used to do grading, so I distinctly remember the very mention of honourably grading on his degree. It used to be great honour.” Whilst living in Paris Prof Mande and his wife Latika mastered the French. In fact, when he came back to Nagpur and Nagpur University introduced the Foreign Language department, Mande couple used to teach French there.

 

After returning to India, Prof Mande joined Atomic Energy Commission and was there between 1959 and 1961. He worked in Spectroscopy Division. Prof Mande helped several students to get PhD. There are more than 40 students that Prof Mande provided PhD guidance. Later on in 1961 Prof Mande joined Department of Physics in Pune University. In 1967 he came to Nagpur and joined the university here as Professor of Physics. His tenure in Nagpur ended in 1985. Then he went to Goa University as that had invited him.

 

He conducted several activities, educational programmes in Nagpur. His University Leadership Project funded by University Grants Commission (UGC). He trained the teachers. Prof Mande has done NCERT book writing scheme for schools. He was President of Indian Science Congress in 1988. He has membership of Indian Academy of Sciences. He received Best Teacher award in 1982. He was a good painter whose painting exhibition in Paris got appreciation.